Vulnerable elderly residents at a Croydon care home have been left feeling isolated in their bedrooms because of chronic staffing shortages, inspectors have found.
The findings come as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded Whitgift House in South Croydon from an overall rating of ‘Good’ to ‘Requires Improvement’ following a recent inspection.
The care home, managed by the John Whitgift Foundation (JWF), provides nursing and residential care for 31 older people, including residents living with dementia and people with physical disabilities. It is located behind the Whitgift School campus on Brighton Road, South Croydon.
During an inspection carried out between May 19 and June 3, 2026, CQC inspectors found ongoing staffing shortages had reduced opportunities for residents to spend time with carers, with some saying they “felt isolated in their rooms”.
Relatives and staff also reported that staffing shortages sometimes delayed residents’ personal care, particularly for those needing support from two members of staff.
Beyond the staffing issues, the watchdog uncovered shortcomings in the care home’s administrative procedures during its first full inspection since December 2018. Inspectors criticised the home’s ‘inadequate’ record-keeping and raised concerns over a lack of proper oversight of vital safeguarding procedures.
As a result, inspectors could not verify whether the JWF was maintaining accurate records to meet good governance standards and “keep people safe from potential harm.”
In response to the failings, the CQC downgraded the home’s ratings for Safe and Well-led from ‘Good’ to ‘Requires Improvement’. The CQC has now asked the JWF to submit an urgent action plan setting out how it will address the concerns identified.
‘A wonderful home’
Despite this, inspectors found enough positive aspects of the service for the home to retain its ‘Good’ ratings in the Effective, Caring and Responsive assessment categories.
The report noted that many residents and their families gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about their daily interactions with frontline care workers. “This is a wonderful home,” one resident told inspectors, adding, “I feel safe and secure and the staff make us all feel comfortable.”
Elsewhere, inspectors found staff consistently treated residents with dignity, kindness and respect, and observed carers patiently supporting people during mealtimes. Personal care was also found to be delivered sensitively, with residents’ privacy respected.
Residents told the CQC they valued the support provided by staff, as well as their ability to maintain independence and raise concerns with management.
Inspectors also found care records were detailed and reflected residents’ individual needs and social histories, while medication management was judged to be safe.
However, feedback on the home’s leadership and daily activities was mixed, with some residents praising the new manager’s visibility while others felt standards had declined following several management changes.
Following the report, published last week, the JWF acknowledged the need to improve governance, staffing oversight and the quality of activities. It said it is recruiting additional staff as part of efforts to improve residents’ day-to-day experience.
The CQC will continue to monitor the care home closely to ensure the required improvements are implemented swiftly and effectively.
Last week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed the JWF had completed the £31.5 million sale of the freehold of the Whitgift Centre to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. The proceeds from the sale will be used to support the foundation’s education and care services across Croydon.
A spokesperson for the JWF told the LDRS: “We are grateful to the CQC for their work to inspect and support our care provision at Whitgift House.
The CQC note that our residents ‘experienced kind and respectful care from committed staff’ and ‘people told us they felt safe, staff were kind and caring, and the home was clean and welcoming’.
“They also find some areas where we need to improve. Whilst we are naturally disappointed by the ‘requires improvement’ rating, we had already recognised the need for some improvements in the home and had been working on these with the team.
“The CQC findings will form part of wider work which we appointed the new home manager to lead to ensure our offer at Whitgift House is as strong as possible. We look forward to working with CQC to demonstrate our improvements in the coming months.”
